7 deputies on leave after fatal shooting of Black man

[Omaha Steve]

Source: AP

By ALLEN G. BREED and JONATHAN DREW

ELIZABETH CITY, N.C. (AP) — Seven North Carolina deputies have been placed on leave and three more have resigned in the aftermath of a Black man being shot and killed by members of their department serving drug-related search and arrest warrants, authorities said Friday.

The disclosure comes as calls increase for the release of deputy body camera footage amid signs, including emergency scanner traffic, that Andrew Brown Jr. was shot in the back and killed as he was trying to drive away.

Pasquotank County Sheriff’s Office Maj. Aaron Wallio confirmed the resignations and deputies on leave in an email Friday. Sheriff Tommy Wooten II has previously said that multiple deputies fired shots and were placed on leave after Brown was killed Wednesday morning. Wallio said the department has a total of about 55 sworn deputies.

Also Friday, the City Council in Elizabeth City unanimously voted to send a letter to the sheriff, local prosecutor and State Bureau of Investigation demanding release of body camera footage. The measure also directed city staff to petition a local court to release the footage if the sheriff denies the council’s request. Wooten has confirmed that at least one deputy was wearing an active body camera but hasn’t given a timetable for releasing it.



In this image taken from video, Quentin Jackson, regional director for the National Black Caucus of Local Elected Officials, addresses protesters blocking Business U.S. 17 in Elizabeth City, N.C., on Thursday, April 22, 2021. The crowd was demanding that authorities release body camera footage showing the fatal officer-involved shooting of Andrew Brown Jr. the day before. (AP Photo/Allen G. Breed)


Read more: https://apnews.com/article/elizabeth-city-shootings-arrests-north-carolina-ap-top-news-b008397132b1e9ae6ee6eae189993f36

[a kennedy]

1. WTF????????

[Garion_55]

2. Sounds like an open and shut case

If they are dumping officers and suspending them before the camera footage is out or before a real investigation was even done and announced, most likely the footage is seriously damning

[jmowreader]

3. It's routine to suspend officers after a shooting

IIRC they suspended the officers who killed LaVoy Finicum, and that was a clean shoot - he was attempting to pull a gun on the cops, and they shot him dead.